5.11 Tactical Acadia Down Review

5.11 is known for making high quality tactical gear trusted by alphabet agencies like the FBI, local law enforcement, and civilians who exercise their 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. In recent years 5.11 has branched out into the outdoor and fitness markets, and this winter I have been tasked with testing out the new 5.11 Acadia 750 Fill Down Jacket while backcountry skiing, snowmobiling, and shovelling a lot of snow in the mountains of western Wyoming.

Acadia Tactical Jacket Warmth

I have found 5.11’s Acadia to be a warm, comfortable, durable, stylish, water resistant down coat that lives up to 5.11’s reputation for concealed carry capabilities. The Acadia is not as breathable and lightweight as down jackets more specifically designed for high intensity activities like spending hours stomping up a snowy mountain, but the Acadia jacket’s durability, warmth, and affordable price tag (especially for a REAL down jacket) makes it a great coat for everyday use around town and less strenuous winter activities like resort skiing and snowmobiling.

As many 5.11 fans would assume, the Acadia jacket can comfortably and discreetly carry a handgun. I’ve tested it out by carrying a .45cal Glock 30, and asking friends to guess which pocket the piece is in: their guesses were never above probability. If they didn’t already know I was carrying, I can’t imagine they would have had any clue.

Technical Features

The 5.11 Acadia Tactical Jacket has 4 pockets: one interior chest pocket (R), one exterior chest pocket (L), and exceptionally spacious waist pockets on either side. The chest pockets can accommodate a handgun but not as discretely or accessibly as the waist pockets. All four pockets are spacious and functional, and one of the chest pockets has a convenient headphone access hole.

The zippers are high quality YKK units and the zipper pulls on the waist pockets and jacket front are adequate to manipulate while wearing gloves. The exterior chest pocket is designed to be less conspicuous, so its zipper pull is quite small and is hard to grasp while wearing winter gloves. The interior pocket also lacks a zipper pull designed to be gripped with gloves on.

I appreciate the durability and water resistance of this 750 fill down coat. Most modern down coats seemed destined to fail by incorporating very thin, fragile fabrics for the exterior shell, but the Acadia does not suffer from this shortcoming. One ski run through the tight trees can rip a bunch of holes in most down coats, but the Acadia can take more of a beating. I also appreciate the understated logos and styling of this down coat: no obvious exterior logos, no bright colors, no flash. It comes in one color: black, which is the ideal color for a down coat anyway.

The hood is spacious enough to fit over my ski helmet, and the neck zips up high and tight. The system to cinch up the waist confused me a little at first, until I realized that the adjustment toggles are locate inside the waist pockets. I think that’s a great design: clean and simple with no elastic dangling off the bottom of the coat.

As an added bonus. the 5.11 Acadia down coat comes with a discrete black stuff sack perfectly sized to pack the coat down for efficient storage and transport.

Tactical Acadia Down Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Warm, comfortable, and durable jacket
• Concealed carry capabilities for handgun
• High-quality YKK zippers and spacious pockets

Cons:

• Not as breathable for high intensity activities
• Chest pockets are not as discreet for handguns
• Exterior chest pocket zipper pull small

Overall Impression

All in all, I have found the 5.11 Acadia Down ($189.99) to be a warm, comfortable, durable, stylish, water resistant down coat that lives up to 5.11’s reputation for concealed carry capabilities.

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2. Forcalz MT 100 Down Jacket Review
3. Rab Alpine Mythic Alpine Light Jacket Review